Shattered Innocence
by SandspotsofRC
Summary: Spruce and Birch were born into a loving family, had plenty of prey, and were always sheltered, everything young kits would need. But when a mysterious group of cats moves into their territory, things take a turn for the worse. Hungry for revenge, one of the kits is mislead down a dark path.
1. Prologue

**Hi. I'm not quite sure what I should tell you, other than this is my first time posting a fanfic on this website, and that I am bad at everything, so don't expect anything to great. Hope you enjoy anyways! (Sorry the prologue is so short, I promise the chapters will be much longer.)**

The she cat sighed, looking down at her beloved clan. Rain was pelting the Earth, and black clouds covered the sky.

"Why did they have to pick this cursed place?" She wailed, not looking up. A raven black tom approached her, whiskers twitching in annoyance.

"Only the survival of the clan matters. Loner kits are not a concern of ours. You care too much, this land is not cursed." This time, the cat lifted her head.

"Not even you can deny what I saw in my vision! They must leave!" "Your so-called prophecy was just a dream, or a nightmare I suppose. You have been wrong in the past, and don't fool yourself into believing your own lies."

The beginning of the end was starting, and only the frost colored she-cat knew how important the clan's actions would be.


	2. Beginning of Kithood

**I tried... *sigh* Well at least it's longer (I think).**

"Momma I'm scared!" Three cats laid in wait, nestled into their nest of feathers and moss. Spruce, a dark brown she-kit, with two white ears, moved closer towards her mother, Ivy.

Ivy was a beautiful cat, and Spruce had always been jealous of her sister, who inherited their mother's sand colored tabby coat.

Birch continued with her whining, terrified of the booming thunder and flashes of lightning outside. "Don't worry, little one, the rain is a good thing." Birch pouted. "I don't see how that's true. It's too loud!" Ivy stifled her laughter, and drew her kit closer to her in a sweep of her tail.

"If it weren't for the rain, there would be no trees, or grass, or even cats!" Spruce looked up at her mother. "When is Papa coming home? I'm so hungry I could eat Birch!" Birch giggled at Spruce's remark and soon forgot about the raging wind outside. "Your father will be here soon, he's catching prey for us. Now go to sleep, my kits, the rain will stop in the morning."

As the kits drifted into the sea of sleep, Ivy crawled out of the nest, careful not to wake Spruce or her sister. Treading lightly on the forest ground, she went out in search of her mate, Eagle. Unknown to their mother, neither of the kits was really asleep. As soon as Ivy disappeared from sight, the real adventure began.

Creeping out of the moss, they wandered into the darkness of the trees. Spruce had always been the braver one, so she had learned to look out for Birch when they did their nightly escapades.

Spruce leaped up onto an old tree stump, and watched as Birch scrambled up behind her. "Hey, you know what we should do tonight?" Birch excitedly squealed. "No, but from the sound of it you really want to do whatever it is. So, what is it?" Spruce questioned.

"We should go swimming in the creek Momma showed us yesterday!" The brown she-kit hesitated, she may have been the braver one, but it was her sister who always came up with the ideas. "I doubt we could really swim in it, it's far too shallow, but that doesn't mean it can stop us from having fun!"

Birch seemed to be running in place, she was so energetic. "Let's go!" Before Spruce could even process what they were about to do, Birch had broken out into a run.

Chasing after her tabby sister, they arrived at the creek within a matter of minutes. As they frolicked in the refreshingly cold water, Spruce suddenly got the feeling they were not alone.

"What are two kits doing out here all alone?"


	3. Strangers and Scents

**It's still really short... I hope I don't go senile from disappointing myself... :')**

Both Birch and Spruce jumped at the sound of the she-cats voice. Out of the shadows walked an elderly cat, her fur going up at

odd angles and spikes. Despite her rather strange appearance, her eyes were gentle, and Spruce wasn't at all afraid of this new cat.

"We were just… getting a drink of water." Birch lied. The pale gray elder wasn't fooled, and walked closer to the kits where she could see them in the moonlight. "Wait a second, are you Ivy's kits? You look exactly like her." The cat looked at Birch, inspecting her tabby coat.

"No, our mother is named… Acorn!" Spruce boldly cried.

"Well alright, guess I better escort you back to Acorn's cave, she and I go a long way back. It would be nice to see her again." Birch's tail went straight up in alarm. _Wait, is this crazy old cat going to take us to some other insane cat's den?_

Spruce turned around and high-tailed into the forest. Birch picked up the idea and ran after her. Not looking back once, they sprinted back to the dip in the ground they called home.

Crawling into their nest, they shut their eyes and pretended to be asleep, just minutes before Ivy and Eagle came silently padding into the makeshift camp bordered by sharp bramble thickets they had put up around the nest. Each one dropping their prey in a small hole in the soft dirt, they trotted to the nest to find the kittens sound asleep. Spruce could hear their every step, and was worried that they might realize they were wet from the creek's cold waters. Spruce finally fell asleep; she and her sister were mostly dry from the run home.

 **-Ivy's point of view—**

Ivy watched her kits sleep. Climbing into her nest, she said goodnight to her mate, and tried to fall asleep. Something kept coming into her nose, a scent, the scent of cats. She twitched her whiskers, annoyed at herself for being so paranoid.

 _Of course I smell cats, there are too many loners living around here to even count._

She tried to rest; each minute reassuring herself there was no threat outside. Focusing on the kits, she groomed each one carefully, trying her best not to disturb their slumber. Each one had the taste of sour water weaved into their fur, and Ivy could tell they had been out on a little adventure while she was gone.

She laughed at the thought of the two kits trying to be secretive as they snuck away. She remembered doing that when she was a kit, with her two brothers. How she missed them, they were very close as kits.

Crow, the all black tom closely resembling their father, had gone to live on the plains with his mate, Sparrow. _Kind of ironic, they're both named after birds. Eagle too. Maybe my family is just attracted to feathers._ Her eyes betrayed a hint of amusement, thinking of what cats would look like with feathers.

She started thinking about Dust, her other littermate, who had stayed to hunt and care for their elderly parents. _He was always so kind, the first one to help a friend, but the only one that would hesitate about sneaking out. Just like Birch. I suppose Spruce is like Crow, adventurous, but not always thinking her plan through before she executes it._

 _How I would like to see them again._ Her wistful thoughts had distracted her long enough from the strange smell that she was able to slip into the realm of sleep, her breathing joining into the rhythm of her families.

 **Yup, Spruce and Ivy get busted by their mom. (Well, they don't know that.) And what's that strange scent Ivy smells? We sort of get to know more about Ivy, and maybe some of the characters mentioned in this chapter will be important in the future. *wink wink nudge nudge***

 **Please review! :)**

It's so short… bleh.


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